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I've recently been trying out an interesting new security program called Bot Revolt. Fire it up and it'll keep you continually updated with all the connections that take place across the internet between your PC and other machines. The "Verified" column indicates that the IP address in question is not one of the billion or so that it deems unsafe. As a way of finding out just how many other systems on the internet your computer is continually talking to (such as auto-update systems, product activation servers etc), the Bot Revolt program is fascinating, and well worth trying out. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ fascinating-real-time-view-your-pcs-inte rnet-connections.htm

When you get Windows 8, you are faced with the equivalent of a brand new operating system. Nothing seems to be where it used to be and the new Start screen filled with big tiles looks nothing like the Windows desktop we are so accustomed to. Very little in the way of introductory help comes with Windows 8. There is a very rudimentary feature but it falls woefully short of explaining how to use the new system. There have been various attempts to fill the void with some helpful video tutorials (for example, here). Now there is a new offering from the Microsoft UK Higher Education Blog that users of Windows 8 should find helpful in learning about the strange new world of tiles and charms. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ new-video-guides-how-use-windows-8.htm

If you want to become a Google Guru, and use some of the advanced tools in the search engine to help you find stuff better, you might want to consider sitting through one or more of the official Google online courses. Alternatively, if you don't want to sit through the complete set of videos in order to find the real juicy stuff, just check out the Cheat Sheet. It's a 2-page PDF file, ready to read online or print, which contains all the useful tips and tricks to make your Googling more efficient. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ handy-cheat-sheet-google-power-searching .htm

PDF files with malicious JavaScript embedded in them are a common way to spread malware. One way to defend against such malware is to disable JavaScript in the reader you use unless you need it for a trusted PDF. Here is how to disable JavaScript in the most commonly used free PDF readers. If JavaScript is ever needed, re-enabling it is straightforward in all cases. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ how-disable-javascript-popular-free-pdf- readers.htm

Windows 7 introduced a new way to organize files called "Libraries", which was carried over to Windows 8. Libraries are virtual folders that can centralize related items from multiple locations and can be very handy. However, their benefits are lost on many PC users who find their organization and use to be confusing or annoying. If you would like an easier way to take advantage of Libraries, here is something to try: http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ easier-way-use-and-manage-libraries-wind ows-7-and-8.htm

Our Hot Finds Editor Robert Schifreen says: "Today, as promised, I'll cover the thorny problem of how to keep all your passwords safe and secure. The problem is an obvious one. If you're like me, you probably have dozens of passwords for all the different web sites you use. Taking into account all the systems I look after as part of my day job too, I probably have over 100. But how best to manage them all, without choosing simple passwords or writing them down? Here's how I do it, and how I advise others to do it. " http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ how-keep-your-passwords-safe.htm

Keyboard shortcuts are essential for making Windows 8 easier to use. As described in a previous tip, the Windows key is part of many time-saving shortcuts. But there is also a different type of keyboard combination with a long history in Windows systems that is very useful. It is the versatile shortcut Alt+F4 and here are three different ways it can help make Windows 8 more efficient. - Vic Laurie, Tips Editor. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ single-windows-8-keyboard-shortcut-does- multiple-tasks.htm

If you are one of the many PC users who like to have a variety of fonts on your computer, now is your chance to make a big addition to your collection. For several years Google has had a very large catalog of fonts that are free and open source (link here). However, using them meant manually browsing through a large selection online to see what you wanted to download and install. But now Google has just made its collection available for download with an app called "SkyFonts" from Monotype. The app installs fonts that you select from the collection and comes in both 32- and 64-bit versions. It works in Windows XP on up but it does require installation of the full .NET 4.0 framework. The app provides for automatic updating if new characters are added to a font. Here's how you can access the

Android's increasing popularity has led to increased security threats, ranging from common malware to advanced Phishing and ID theft techniques. In order to help Android users to deal with these issues many security software companies have launched their own security apps, but paying nearly 30 bucks a year for a complete mobile security app doesn't sound like a good deal, especially when there's a wide choice of free security apps that will cover all your needs including a group of complete security suites with Anti-Theft capabilities. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ best-free-antivirus-app-android.htm

One of the most controversial things about Windows 8 is the missing Start button and Start menu. After relying on the Start menu through one version of Windows after another, PC users have found themselves floundering around in Windows 8 trying to find where everything is. It doesn't help that Windows 8 boots up to a new Start Screen filled with big tiles while the previous Desktop interface is now treated as just another app. It didn't take long for software developers to jump in and begin turning out programs that restore the Start menu and get you to the Desktop right away. By now there are a large number of Start menu replacements. Here are the best freebies. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ best-free-windows-8-start-menu-replaceme nt.htm

The deadline for the demise of iGoogle, Google's start page, is getting closer. While nothing will completely replace iGoogle, there are some alternatives out there. These six sites are possibly your best options. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ 6-great-alternatives-igoogle.htm

A few months ago, Amazon launched a cloud-based storage system. It scored a point over market leading Dropbox by offering 5 GB of free storage, but there was no desktop client application available. You had to access your storage via your web browser. As of today, though, that's no longer the case. Amazon Cloud Drive now has a desktop app, which effectively means that Amazon's service works almost identically to Dropbox. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ amazon-launches-sneaky-rival-dropbox.htm

Sooner or later it happens to all of us, a Windows program gets hung up and just sits there frozen. You can open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and try to close the hung program or use the command line to kill it (see this link). But sometimes you might want to see if you can find out why the program got hung up in the first place or you may want to try to unfreeze it. In that case, Windows 7 has just the system tool you need. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ what-do-hung-or-unresponsive-windows-7-p rogram.htm

A new player in the cloud storage market is offering 100 GB of space to the first million people to sign up to its service. To sign up, just head to www.zoolz.com and follow the instructions. However, there's clearly a waiting list for the service, so you won't get your free space right away. Is it any good? Will the service work properly? We don't know yet. But it seems sensible to sign up now, just in case it does turn out to be excellent. You have nothing to lose. Especially if you sign up with a non-critical email address rather than your primary one. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ want-100gb-free-cloud-based-storage.htm

If you ever face the chore of having to process a bunch of digital pictures or other image files, here’s a powerful little free program called Tinuous that may be just what you are looking for. It can carry out a variety of batch jobs such as resizing, renaming, converting to different file formats, changing colors, and more. The application comes with a number of useful features and works for all current versions of Windows including Windows 8 and for both 32- and 64-bit systems. Two ways to download it are available, either an EXE file for automatic installation or a ZIP file that can be used to run the application from anywhere without installation. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ nifty-free-windows-application-batch-con version-resizing-and-renaming-image-file s.htm

Unit Scout is an ingenious program which adds conversion facilities (feet and inches to metres, grams to pounds and ounces, etc etc) to almost every Windows program, including the MS-DOS command prompt. It works so well it's certainly worth installing even if you only use it occasionally, http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ ingenious-utility-adds-conversion-featur e-all-windows-apps.htm

If you want to check up on the performance of your various drives, here is a free Windows utility that will quickly and easily test their read and write speeds in several ways. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ how-find-out-how-fast-your-pc-drives-rea d-and-write.htm

As you may have heard, Google Reader will be closing its doors on July 1st, 2013. Those of us who use and depend on RSS feeds are scrambling for alternatives.Editor Rhiannon has selected six alternatives for you that are web based that have (mostly) apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ 6-free-google-reader-alternatives.htm

Tired of the way your Windows desktop looks? Want to spruce it up? Take advantage of the hidden collections of icons that come with Windows. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ improve-looks-your-windows-desktop-hidde n-collection-icons-you-didn-t-know-you-h ad.htm

There are numerous ways to find out all the parameters for the network devices that are installed on your system. However, a new free utility from Nirsoft makes displaying all the details of your network adapters and interfaces about as easy as it can get. http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ new-utility-display-details-all-windows- network-adaptersinterfaces-your-system.h tm